


Tales of the Mage

by Grillby_Coalee



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Like, Lots of OCs - Freeform, Mage!Reader, Multi, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, Wartime Fic, Wartime!Grillby, Young!asgore, gender neutral reader, hella slow burn, hes 15 in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:42:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22539544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grillby_Coalee/pseuds/Grillby_Coalee
Summary: You’re supposed to be a baker. But, considering your history with the monster kingdom, you are the King’s courier as well.Being a human, AND helping the monster kingdom, especially when humans are at war with them, is incredibly dangerous.Let’s just hope your past doesn’t screw you over. King Malorwen didn’t pick you just because you were quick, after all.You were supposed to be a baker.(This is a Wartime Fic, meaning there will be angst, and pain. I plan to explore war dynamics and a lot of things I don’t usually write about. I hope it will be good, but I can’t make any promises. This is still a WIP)
Relationships: Grillby (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 12
Kudos: 43





	1. The Tale Begins. (Ch 1)

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy! I am finally Satisfied with the first chapter of this, so it’s going up! I hope y’all enjoy!!
> 
> Please note that this *is* a slow burn, and I am going to introduce the characters first. 
> 
> My tumblr is Awesomeundertalelover3, if y’all aren’t from there! You’ll get snippets and chances to name a few things in the story!

You groan, blinking the sleep from your eyes and sit up in bed. Taking a deep breath, you run your hands over your face. You step onto the hardwood floor.

“Shit!” you hiss, glaring at the chilly floor. “Gotta start a fire... I’ll have to put it out soon after, but I want some heat in this damn house,” you grumble. Huffing quietly and standing up you walk over to your closet. You grab and put on your long-sleeved blouse, trousers, and a knee-length tunic. The weather was getting colder and you refused to risk freezing. Rolling your shoulders back, you sigh and head into your living room.

There, a small fireplace, a couch, and two smaller chairs resided. You mutter soft curses as you walk over to the fireplace and fumble around for your flint. After finding it, and then nearly dropping it on your foot, you’re able to start a small fire.

  
“Finally.” you breath and, despite having little time, you stay kneeled in front of the fire for a few seconds. Taking a deep breath in, you stand up and stretch your arms over your head. Then you set your flint back on top of the fireplace and grab your fire carrier. It's really just a long stick that catches easily, but you have to light the lanterns somehow. You stick it into the fire for a few seconds, before pulling it out and walking over to the closest lantern. You open and light it, before doing so with the other five lanterns.

Looking around, you nod and then head into the kitchen. It is fairly small, with a longish counter separating it from the rest of the room. On both sides of the stove, two small cabinets sit, containing pans, pots, skillets, and a few other things. Above those cabinets are two more, where bowls, plates, cups, and spices sit. A few feet away is the entrance to the cellar. Opening and glancing inside your cabinets, you hum, trying to think of something easy to make.

“I’ve got eggs in the cellar, some salt n pepper.” Opening the cabinet to your right, you pull out your skillet and set it on the counter. Then, you grab your salt, vegetable oil, and pepper, setting them next to the skillet. “Now, just need the eggs.” Turning around, you walk over to the cellar and tug the doors open.

It was dark, of course, but with the doors open, there was enough light for you to see. Padding down the stairs, you blink a few times, allowing your eyes to adjust to the dim light. Then, you look around and grab two eggs from your pot.  
Heading back upstairs, you set the eggs down before turning back around and closing the cellar. Nodding, you grab the flint just above the stove and start a small cooking fire. You set the skillet over the flames, pour in a little vegetable oil and then crack the eggs into the pan. Quickly grabbing a fork, you stir the eggs until the yolks and whites blend. Then, setting the skillet into a holder, you grab your salt and pepper and shake some onto your breakfast.

“Now comes the hardest part, trying to not make my omelet into scrambled eggs.” You grumble, determined to not screw this up. You slip your spatula under one side of the eggs and begin to lift when a knock at your dork causes you to jerk.  
“DAMMIT! I was so close!” You shout, pulling the skillet off the flames and quickly dart over to the door. Yanking it open, you snap “What the hell do you want, the sun hasn’t even risen yet!”

“Fuck up your eggs again Spitfire?” the small bunny monster says amused, slipping past you.

“Fuck you, Doran, my eggs are perfect!” Doran snorts, clearly not believing you. You just grumble and head back into the kitchen to finish making breakfast. Doran hops up onto the counter, grinning as he watches you finish up your scrambled eggs.

Glancing up at him, you ask, “How’s your wife? Is her pregnancy going along ok?” Doran hums happily, before nodding.

“Yea, things are going well for Niamh. She said to tell you Hi. And that If you have any good names for a baby girl because she thinks, for some reason, mine aren’t good enough!”

He exaggerates, playing up his frustration. You laugh, knowing he’s just being dramatic, and plate your eggs.

“Well, how about Ann? Or Mary? Lilac? Those are all good names.” Doran hums and shakes his head.

“No, no. Niamh wouldn't like those, too human sounding,” You squint at Doran for a few seconds, “Hey! You’re the ones who started the war, not us! Plus, we’re bunnies! We don’t need human names!” You huff, but then nod, he did have a point.

“Alright, uh... how about, Aine?” Doran perks up, grinning. You know he’s going to tease you for learning Azíula, so you decide to sit at the table and eat your eggs.

“Really? You went out of your way to learn Azíula, monster tongue, for what? To talk shit about humans in front of them?” Doran chuckles, “But yea, Aine is a good name. ‘Splendor’... fitting. This kid is going to be the best.” You chuckle slightly, swallowing your food.

“I’ll be honest, I hadn’t even thought of that ‘til now. But no, I learned Azíula because I’m going back up to Mount Ebott soon. More often than not, our conversations are held in front of the handful of humans that live there, and certain things cannot get out. He is, understandably, wanting to be cautious.” Doran’s smile fades and he nods. The air turns somber as you finish your breakfast. Doran hops off the counter and pulls out a piece of parchment as you put your plate into the sink.

“That reminds me... the King wanted you to gather these before you head up to Mount Ebott,” he hands you a list. “Said those items were incredibly important, enough for you to postpone your meeting to get them.” Doran doesn’t miss how your eyes widen, “As long as the postponement isn't over a week, of course. If it is, He’ll assume you died or were badly injured... He will not send help.” You straighten up and nod slightly.

“I know. I wouldn’t want him to either. If I'm badly hurt, whoever he sends will be dusted. I’ll try to arrive on time, but tell him I may be a day or two late, just in case. I’ll... look over this... see what will be easy to get and what will require a trip.” Doran nods as you grab your satchel, and you walk out the back door together. “Tell your Wife I said Hi, ok?”

“I will. Good luck with the bakery today, hope you won’t get too overwhelmed.” You laugh and wave at him, watching his small form fade into the dark. Sighing, you pocket the note and head towards the barn.

“C'mon big guy, it's time for work.” You say as you pull open the barn doors. Your ox groans, but stands up. You let him out of his stall to stretch his legs before you have to hook him up. Grabbing a feeding pail, you head out to the shack a couple of yards away. You pick up the feed bag, fill it and then fill the pail to give to your other ox. Walking back over, you notice that your free ox is already lined up in front of the cart.

“Yea, yea, big guy. Let me feed the other one first, then I’ll set you up.” You crack open the other ox’s stall and pour his food into the trough. He barely stirs at the sound. You chuckle quietly and set the pail back in its spot. Carter, your main cart Ox, stamps impatiently at you.

“I’m coming, I’m coming! Gimme a sec, will ya? Crazy thing.” Carter huffs, irritated as you hook him up to the cart.

Once making sure everything is secure, you climb up to the driving seat and give him the command to go. Carter huffs again and heads towards the main road. He knows the path to the bakery, so you take out the list Doran gave you.

**The Nalazíum’s kãyrun**  
**Zãlum**  
**Tãeya**  
**Nroya**  
**Leíeon**  
**Fãlis**  
**Nãtgier**

“Ah, fuck. It's all in Azíula. Let’s see...” You pull out a cane piece and your small inkwell from your satchel and write the Translations on the list.

**The Nalazíum’s kãyrun** _(The courier’s list)_  
**Zãlum** _(Cinnamon)_  
**Tãeya** _(quills)_  
**Nroya** _(Cloth or Silk, get both)_  
**Leíeon** _(Iron)_  
**Fãlis** _(furs)_  
**Nãtgier** _(Seaglass)_

“Oh... Ok, Quills, Cloth, and Silk are in town. I’ll have to head to Seacrest for the rest, which is a two-day trip. Which means if I get everything else after work today, and the trip goes well, I should meet the king on time...” You sigh roughly. Seaglass was incredibly hard to get. Not only is it risky to gather, but the magic properties made it pricey. Carter moos slightly, drawing your attention away from the list in your hands.

“Excuse me? What are you doing up so early?” Shit! Human Guards!

“Oh! Uh, I’m heading to work, I’m a baker so I have to get there before sunrise because I, well, open at sunrise.” The guards nod, understanding, and quickly pull their horses off to let you pass.

You quickly thank them and get ready to usher Carter to move quicker, when one guard stops you.  
“Be careful out here, there have been reports of monsters nearby. We have no idea how savage and dangerous they may be.” You nod, biting your cheek to avoid snapping at him, and usher Carter forward.

“Thank you again, gentlemen. Have a good day, and don’t go too far into the mountain, there are large wolves there. They’ll eat horses, but not oxen. Good day!” You say, snickering quietly at the panicked expressions that cross their faces. At least those two won’t venture farther. Letting the reins go again, you lean against the hardwood backing and take a deep breath.

“Gonna have to tell Doran to be more careful... have him tell the others that guards might travel into the forest, although most will avoid them on sight... if they are spotted, they could end up-” You shudder at the thought, and take another deep breath. Can’t worry about that now, you’ve got work to do. You pull out your list again and look over it. Trying to mentally plan how the trip will go. After a few minutes of trying to mentally plan a trip you start getting frustrated, so you put your list back into your satchel. For Iron and Seaglass, hell even Cinnamon! You’d need a group to travel with, which means heading up to town and all the way to the travel center.

Carter moos again, and you snap back to the real world. Oh! You were at your bakery!

“Oh! Sorry, Carter, lost in thought. Here, lemme get down.” You quickly hop down and rub his nose. Carter bumps your hand happily and begins to walk into the cart stall. Swiftly, you move out of the way and past him. Once he’s settled you unhook the cart and let him wander in the pasture behind your bakery. Both he and Travis are well trained enough to come when you call, plus they’re both lazy so they don’t go very far. You crack your knuckles and head into the bakery.

“Here we are! Now, time to bake my ass off so I’m ready for today.” You step into the kitchen and start pulling ingredients off of the shelves. You set several things on the counter and do a mental check of your most common sales. Banana bread, normal bread, and Italian are the main loaves. Croissants, both regular and chocolate covered, as well as blueberry and chocolate muffins and... that should be it! Cracking your knuckles again, you set right off to work.

A few hours later, you have your displays stocked with plenty of fresh food and are officially open for the day. A few minutes later, Andy walks in. He’s short, fifteen at most with bright red hair and gorgeous green eyes, and a hell of a lot of freckles. He’s a fantastic worker and always arrives a few minutes after opening for his shift.  
“Good morning! I see you’ve already stocked things!” Andy says, smiling widely as he puts on his apron. You chuckle and nod, before noticing Andy’s hair was shorter.

“Your aunt finally agree that you’re her nephew and not her niece? You said she’d never let you cut your hair.” Andy flinches, sighs a little, and answers.

“I... left, so I cut my hair. She said it was “her house, her rules!” and, since I am no longer in her house, I’m free to do as I please! It feels nice.” He shrinks a little, before asking, “Does it look dumb? I had to cut it myself.” You grab some scissors out of a nearby drawer, you gesture for Andy to come here.

“It does look a little silly, but don’t worry, I can fix It easy.” Pulling him into the bathroom, you quickly alter his hair into a better style. “So, does this mean you need somewhere to stay?” you ask as he looks at his new hairstyle. He tenses again, before answering.

“Uh, I guess? I... hadn’t thought of that when I left. I just wanted out.” You nod, brushing the stray hair off of his shoulders.

“Well, I’ve always got a room in my home for you! You’re more than welcome to come live with me if you like. It would be easier to practice magic out in the mountain anyhow.” Andy nods, smiling at you.  
“I’d like that! But uh, I’d like to stay in town. A few of my friends should let me stay with them. Thank you, anyhow. I know most don’t like magic-users or people like me, my aunt is proof of that. So...”

You grin in response and pat his shoulder, “You’re fine, I get it! Anyways! Time to get to work.” He perks up and nods again before you both leave the bathroom and get ready to serve customers. Just on time too, considering the blacksmith’s apprentice walks in a moment after. Andy smiles him and the black-haired boy smiles back sheepishly. He quickly puts in an order for two chocolate croissants and one loaf of banana bread. You grab the bread off the top shelf as Andy grabs the two croissants and puts them in the Apprentice’s bag. You place the loaf into the other bag and set it on the counter.

“Two gold for the croissants, and three for the Banana Bread... Five gold please.” The boy quickly pulls out a coin bag and pays, waving as he leaves. Andy waves back, smiling. You roll your eyes, knowing they harbor feelings for one another. Puppy love was always fun to see.

The day continues on much the same, with people ducking in and out, only a handful of regulars bothering to stay longer than the wait needed to get their orders. A few do loiter about, just to chat or people watch, meaning that the bakery is never empty.

When the sun passes its peak, people start to clear out, knowing that you close soon. Andy leans against the bar, clearly worn out from running around filling orders.

“Do you ever want to just, not do this anymore? I know I do.” Andy asks, making you chuckle. Taking the money from the old grandma, you answer.  
“You say that every day, and no, I much prefer this to what I was doing before.” Andy turns around, leaning his arms against the counter, tilting his head at you.

“What did you do before becoming a baker? I don’t think you’ve ever told me that.” You inhale sharply, eyes snapping shut as the images come back.

  
————

“ _GENERAL! LOOK OUT!” Your sergeant yelled, causing you to whip around and narrowly dodge a very sharp blade coming down at you before you lunge at the man and slam your sword into his neck. Blood splatters everywhere, coating you and your fellow soldiers. The man’s head is severed messily and you pull your blade out, further severing it._

“ _KEEP MOVING! THERE ARE MORE AHEAD, WE NEED TO BEAT THEM BACK!” You shout, sending your men forward, further into battle. The crashing of swords surrounds you, nearly deafening. You lick your dry lips and taste copper. Swallowing thickly, you realize all you can taste is copper. The air was thick with it, along with the utterly disgusting smell of rotting seared flesh and death. You can almost taste that as well, with how potent it is. You shake the thought away and continue on._

_Spotting a horseman, you charge forwards, slamming the blade into the horse’s chest, causing it to whine loudly and throw its rider off. You quickly pull your sword out, slick with so much blood and dart to the man before you. He tries to yell for help, or maybe to plead._

_“NO! WAI-” you don’t give him the time, silencing his cries easily... happily even. You giddily plunge the blade into his chest, feeling adrenaline flood you. **It was exhilarating.**_

————

  
Snapping back into the real world, no longer stuck in a memory, you realize just how tightly you are gripping the counter’s edge. Andy looks at you, concerned and gently rests his hand in front of yours, but does not touch you. You inhale sharply, still remembering the smell of death that had surrounded you.

“Uh, sorry boss. I guess I shouldn’t have asked.” he pulls away silently, looking very nervous. You shake your head and brush it off, telling him that it was fine. He doesn’t know your past, nor should he. A past like that should never be shared. Not with a child. Taking another deep breath, rolling your shoulders back, you get right back to work. It was tiring and distracting. Before no longer mattered, but now did.

Once you close up, you head into the cart stall and call for Carter. Despite not being close enough to hear him, you can guarantee he groaned at you. Still, he walks over and lines up to be hooked to the cart. You chuckle at his antics and do just that, with ease. Once sure of your work, you jog back outside and quickly grab Andy’s arm. He jumps, looking startled before smiling at you.

“My house is just up the hill, but it's quite a walk. I can take you up there once I gather what I need in town.” Andy shakes his head,

“I have a place to stay already, remember? but I will come to visit!” You stop and let out a small “oh” in response.

“Right! It slipped my mind. Oh, but I will be gone for the next three to four days, so you’ll have to open and close for me, ok?” Andy nods, having done so before. Once that was cleared up, you bid each other goodbye and headed back over to the cart. Double checking your work, you climb up and began to head into town.

You spot the fur trader and quickly tug the reins so Carter stops.  
“Jameson, how are you, my friend!” Jameson looks up, delighted to see you. He waves you over, and you hop down and walk up to him. He happily signs that he is doing well and that he had missed you. You laugh and say you missed him too, before gesturing at the new furs he has.

“Got anything special for me, James?” he grins widely and pulls out a few very large, incredibly beautiful furs, the perfect size for the large body of the king. You gasp and feel them. Jameson puffs out his chest and signs that they are very soft and he got them just for you. You grin and thank him with a kiss on the cheek, very happy with the quality and softness of them. Jameson blushes brightly at the kiss and rubs his cheek, smiling.

  
“How much are they?” You ask, knowing something with this quality would be very expensive. Jameson waves you off, signing that they were free for you. You had a feeling that the king had already paid for these, and just needed you to pick them up. You raise an eyebrow at him, and he holds up his hands in the universal sign for surrender.

“Hmm... fine. But come here, I need to give you something.” Jameson moves closer, curious and you grab his face and pepper both his cheeks with friendly kisses. He turns redder than a tomato and gently swats at you, making you laugh. Scooping up the furs, you load them into the cart and thank him one last time. He waves you off again and signs that it was his pleasure. You smile and wave goodbye before grabbing Carter’s reins and leading him through the town market.

Next was the Quills, just a few stalls over. Gently tugging down on the reins gets Carter to stop, you look over what the merchant has. There were several utterly beautiful types that you just knew some friends would adore. But that wasn’t what you were searching for. The magical quills had a special symbol on them, unnoticeable unless you're taught to look for them. Thankfully, you were, and after a moment you spot them on the table behind the merchant. Looking into the grinning woman’s eyes, you notice the slight shimmer to them. Ah, a monster under glamour, makes sense.

Straightening up, you clear your throat,  
“Ma’am, can I see the _Tãeyas_ behind you? They look quite nice.” You don’t miss the way her eyes widen just a little further than a normal human’s. She quickly nods and pulls them out, happily showing them to you. You look over them, easily picking out the fake one. A simple test, to see if you’re with the monsters or not. The fake had no aura of magic around it while the others did. Impossible to tell without being taught, and only a monster would be able to teach something like that. You pick it up and make eye contact with her again. Based on how her eyes crinkle, she’s smiling under her scarf.

“How much?” The woman grins wider and says sixteen gold. Not very pricey, but enough that you wouldn’t buy them without good reason. Setting the fake back into the case, you give her the money and set the quills on top of the furs, being careful to pin it so it won’t move, but won’t be crushed either. Turning back towards the woman, you gently press three fingers to your forehead and move them towards her, a simple monster greeting. Her eyes crinkle again and she returns the gesture.

Two more stalls over, you find your cloth and silk. Getting plenty of both, which left you fifty gold poorer, you load up your cart with it all, still being careful not to crush the quills. Feeling satisfied with your speed, you climb back onto the driver’s seat and lead Carter down to the Travel Center. Now comes the hardest part, finding a good group to travel with.

The Travel Center wasn’t very far, but it was a pain to get to. Especially during rush hour when every stall was filled with people and the road was filled with carts. Thankfully, you get the right of way -most of the time- due to having a very large ox. Carter helped by huffing and grunting, as he was an impatient ox and wanted to get home.  
Sighing, you slip off and approach the old man, nicknamed the Controller. He looks up at you and smiles.

“Spitfire! My dear, what brings you here? Another trip?” You nod, smiling slightly at his enthusiasm. He has always been friendly, but most travelers weren’t, which made coming here plain awful. Thankfully, no new -or awful- travelers seemed to be nearby, which was a relief. “Where you headed, my dear?” You grin,

“I need to make a short trip to Seacrest. The only place around where you can get Seaglass without having to collect it yourself.” The Controller’s eyes widen, making his already wrinkled forehead even more so.

“Seaglass! Wow, you certainly have one rich employer if you can buy Seaglass. Uh, the only group that is traveling to Seacrest is... Oh! Lilian's Group! I’ll tell her that you’d like to come along!”

You let out a breath of relief, laying your arms against the counter. Lilian was amazing and very friendly. The only person you would rather travel with is Jameson. You wait as the Controller hobbles over to her group and happily chats with them.

Lilian looks up at you, waving happily. You straighten up and wave back. The Controller quickly hobbles back over and gives you a thumbs up, making you laugh.

“Lilian said that they are more than happy to have you join them, but that you'll have to bring your own Ox and cart! They’ll be leaving tomorrow at sunrise, maybe earlier if you all arrive sooner. Good luck with your trip!” 

You grin and thank him, before saddling up and beginning the trek home.


	2. Friends and Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friends are wonderful! Even if they can scare you sometimes. 
> 
> Memories are less so. 
> 
> Welp. Can't change the past now. Just try not to repeat it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOWDY YALL! 
> 
> Certainly been a while.   
> Well, have Chapter Two.   
> Can't say when Chapter Three will go up, so *shrugs*

The sun dips below the trees, casting a soft glow over the old merchants town. You hum and breathe deeply, content. You liked sunsets, and the first stars in the sky were said to be magical. A sharp jerk forward knocks you out of your thoughts, and you tug on your Ox’s reins to slow him. 

“Calm down, Calm down, we’ll be there soon!” 

Carter picks up speed, clearly excited to get home and be fed dinner. You let out a breathy laugh at his enthusiasm. 

“I know you're hungry, Boy, but slow down! You could cause everything to fall off, and then we’ll have to spend even more time to pick it all up again.” Carter huffs as you pull on the reins again, but slows down nonetheless. 

Finally arriving at your house, you notice smoke coming out of the chimney, meaning someone was home. Startling, considering you live alone. Yanking Carter’s reins, you swiftly jump off the driver’s seat and rush inside. Slamming the door open, you’re greeted with a sharp yelp. 

“SPITFIRE!” Niamh yells, making you jump and then calm once you recognize her. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!” You huff sharply, irritated. 

“Niamh, you _broke into my_ ** _HOUSE!_** I saw the smoke from the Chimney and thought there was a thief! I think rushing inside is an appropriate reaction!” Niamh squints up at you. 

“If there was a thief in your house, why the hell would they start a fire? They’d be trying to be sneaky! Starting a fire would give them away!” You go to tell her off but stop, realizing she kinda had a point. 

“Niamh, I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly  _ because _ ,  **_I thought someone was in MY HOUSE!_ ** Plus! The thief could have started a fire to make it seem like it was their house, to avoid suspicion from outsiders.” Niamh rolls her eyes and waves you off. 

“Well _ , I’M _ not a  _ thief.  _ ANYHOW! I made dinner! You’ll love it, I know it! It’s just some rice, chicken and my secret sauce, but it is delicious!” You sigh amusedly, but perk up at the mention of dinner. Niamh was a wonderful cook and made some of the best food you’ve ever had. 

“I bet it is! I’ll be right back, I have to unload my cart and put everything away.” Niamh nods and waves you out as she prepares dinner. You jog back out the door and head over to Carter, who is angrily waiting in the cart area to be unhooked. He really couldn’t care less about thieves. When he spots you, he irritatedly moos, causing you to chuckle. 

“I know I know! I’m sorry, just give me a second.” You walk over to him, and quickly pull out the quills to set them on the driver’s seat, before unhooking Carter. He angrily moos again before storming over to the barn. You snort at his antics and scoop up the furs . Shifting the weight so it’s easier to carry, you head back inside and chuck them on the couch. Niamh looks up from setting the table, and amusedly huffs, grinning. 

“ _ Why do furs have to be so heavy _ .” you whine, making Niamh laugh fully. You stick your tongue out at her, and go back outside to gather everything else, being careful to set the quills on top so they aren’t crushed. Once inside, you set the quills on the dining room table and then chuck the silk and cloth onto the couch. 

“I thought you said you needed to put those away?” You roll your eyes at Niamh, 

“I’m  _ hungry _ , and by the time I’d be done with **_that_ ** , the food would be _ cold! _ ” You say, being over dramatic and whiny. Niamh puts her hands on her hips. 

“Well, if you don’t sit down and eat soon, the food will get cold anyways.” You both grin at each other and take a seat. 

“Why are you here anyhow? Other than to make me dinner, apparently.” You take a bite and smile, it  _ is _ delicious!

“Well, Doran told me you said “Hi” when he got home, and I realized I hadn’t visited you in a while!  _ S _ o, here I am! Also, I know you want to know about how the baby is doing, and Doran doesn’t have the same connection to her as I do.” Niamh smiles, and you nod along while taking another bite.

“That reminds me, I have a few questions.” Quickly swallowing, you continue, “You and Doran said that you have a baby, but that she isn’t born yet.” She nods, “But, you uh… don’t look pregnant? Why is that?” Niamh bursts into laughter, only confusing you further. “What? What is it? Why is that funny?” 

“I.. oh angel above!” she keeps giggling, before giving you an answer. “Ok, I mean, I probably should have known you don’t know how most monster pregnancies work.” Naimh covers her mouth to avoid starting up again, “For most monsters, we, well! Most monsters lay eggs. Bunnies are the odd ones out, because we lay eggs even though non monster bunnies don’t.” You look at Niamh like she’s insane, causing her to dissolve into laughter again, but thankfully, she gets it back together quickly. “Yea, yea I know! No one has figured out  _ why _ We lay eggs but we do! Oh dear.” she attempts to muffle her laughter. “But uh, other than a handful of others that are also odd, most monster pregnancies match with what they are!” You just squint at her, tilting your head slightly. “A goat monster would have a live birth, Like a goat?”

“Oh! Ok, that makes a little more sense.” Niamh grins and you quietly clear your throat. 

“So, what about your baby? How  _ is _ she doing?” Her ears perk up and she looks delighted.

“The baby is just fine! We decided to call her Aine, like you suggested!” You blush a little, smiling. “She's getting stronger, and needs a lot more magic and love now, but Doran and I are giving her more than enough!” You smile, but are still a little confused.

“How does that work? You giving Aine love, I mean. You’re so far away, but you say that like you’re doing it now?” She smiles and happily jumps into explaining.

“Well, Aine is my kid, right?” You roll your eyes and nod. “While yes, I do have to be near her to give her magic, I don’t need to be near her to give love! Our souls are connected, same with Doran and I. Because of that, I don’t need to be close to them to know that they love me, and I love them.” 

“Oh. That’s… adorable, and sweet. But, why would Aine need love? Er, I mean, I know why she would need love, every child does, but —“ Niamh holds up her hand, cutting you off. 

“Spitfire, what are human souls made of?” 

“Determination, hope and will.”

“And what are monster souls made of?” 

“Hope, compassion, magic and love.” Niamh agrees and it clicks. “Oh! Since Aine’s soul is still developing, she needs to be given magic and love so she can grow?” She nods, making you grin. 

“Monsters are confusing sometimes.” Niamh laughs, shaking her head and you chuckle with her. 

“You say that like you’ve forgotten that humans are even more confusing!” She waves her hands around as she speaks, clearly trying to be over dramatic. You snort at her antics, 

“Yea, But at least we’re obvious about it! Humans are weird! Ask any one of ‘em and they’ll agree!” You point out, making her shake her head and wave you off. 

“I suppose that’s true -” You grin, going to say-- “Oh hush! Don’t start!” you chuckle again and Niahm scrunches her nose at you, grinning. “Shut up and eat your food before it gets cold!” You laugh and stick your tongue out at her, which she returns. Shaking your head, you both return to your meals. 

Once finished, you scoop up both the bowls and begin to wash them. Niahm hops up onto the counter with a towel and dries them. She hums a tune and you work in comfortable silence. You really did miss spending time with her like this. Pausing, you remember the guards from earlier today. 

“Niahm, You know about all the monsters that have to go near paths and the town, right?” She perks up and nods, asking, 

“Of course I do, I help oversee all of that. Why? Is something wrong?” You sigh and nod. 

“On my way to work this morning, I ran into two human guards. They warned me that monsters were being spotted nearby and that I should be careful. I told them about the large wolves that eat horses, so they won’t go any further into the forest, but they may send others.” Niahm’s eyes blow wide, her nose twitching quickly. She takes a deep breath, trying to calm her now spiked nerves. You hated to bear bad news, but it needed to be said. 

“I’ll… I’ll let them know. Thanks. How far down the path were you? Was there a chance they saw Doran?” You shake your head No, telling her you were at the crossroads just before town when you encountered them. She breathes a sigh of relief, glad to know her husband isn’t in danger. She hops off your counter and heads towards the front door. 

“I’ll tell everyone to be more discreet and careful, but some of these trips cannot be delayed. Thank you, really.” She stops just before the door, and looks over her shoulder at you. “If… if there is anyway, any at all, that you could get a hold of some cloaks, or even cloaking spells, we would all be so very grateful.” You nod and she smiles sadly. Niamh knows that it is unlikely you will, but she also knows that you’ll at least try. With that, she turns and walks out the door, tossing one last goodbye over her shoulder before sprinting off into darkness. 

Shutting the door, you lean against it, taking a deep breath. It was awful, everything that was going on. A war was surely brewing, one that you weren’t sure you could win. Grunting, you shove yourself off the door and shake away those thoughts. You were a soldier once, but not anymore. You refused to fight for humans again, but… deep down, you knew. If the King, if Malorwen asked you to fight, for monsters, for magic, to fight for him? You would. Decided to leave those thoughts alone, You realize that you really should put everything away. 

You had a long trip in the morning, and having things lying around wasn’t going to make it any smoother. 

Still, going to bed right now sounded wonderful, if only to get away from your thoughts. You scoop the cloth off the couch, and fold it. After that, you do the same with the silk, and set them on the table.

You flit around, scooping up the quills and putting them next to the cloth and silk. You decided to leave the furs on the couch, considering that they were all very heavy and you’d need to get them out the door quickly anyhow.

You continue to just move around, picking up things and organizing, trying to distract yourself. Once everything was tidy, you began to put out the lights. Filling the small water can, you sprinkle water onto each of the lanterns’ flames, extinguishing them. Once that was done, you put out the fire in the fireplace. 

Surrounded by darkness, you sigh deeply. You set the small water can back in its place and head into your bedroom. It was even darker there, and with nothing to distract you, you can’t help but remember your first night as a soldier. 

— — — —

_ “Why is it so cold? I thought they gave everyone blankets?” You ask the older veteran. He looks at you sympathetically.  _

_ “They do, but the captains take them for themselves.” You want to say that’s not fair, but the lights go out, making you jump. Several other soldiers chuckle. _

_ “Aww, is the baby scared of the dark?” A soldier a few beds away teased, and the Veteran snapped at him to shut the hell up. He did, if only to save himself an asswhooping.  _

_ The man sighs, looking at you, “He may be an asshole, but he's right, Kid. You can’t be afraid of the dark out here, or it’ll swallow you _ **_whole_ ** _.”  _

— — — —

You shiver at the memory, still being able to feel the cold. How young and naive you were. Although you got over the fear of the dark, however minor it had been, it wasn’t without a reason. Things are more easily hidden in the dark. And not all monsters are kind. 


End file.
